Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Mark 10:2-16 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: John 6:35, 41-51 As usual, Jesus is doing a lot here. He’s talking about bread, a powerful symbol of sustenance – but one that could also accidentally kill – and also one that’s incredibly democratic. Everyone
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Mark 6:14-29 Today’s Gospel reading takes us to one of those biblical scenes that has become such the stuff of legend that most people are able to recite, or at least reference, parts of it whether
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Matthew 23:29-36 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Matthew 15:10-28 The story of the Canaanite woman is significant on several levels: It represents one of only two times that Jesus leaves Jewish territory — and it signifies the expansion of Jesus’ ministry beyond his
Preached at Gentle Spirit Christian Church, Atlanta, Ga. Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The Parable of the Sower The Gospel reading for today centers on what is known as the Parable of the Weeds. In the Gospel of Matthew, it follows what is known as the
The Gospels are understandably spare in their recounting of the life of Jesus. The expense and trouble involved in producing and promulgating the written word two millennia ago meant every word counted in a way that is almost unfathomable to us now. Mark, the briefest
Coming out is an act of love — of self-love, and of love for those around us. It has the power to bring us closer to friends and family, and it gives us the security of knowing that however people treat us, it’s because of
Oh, conversion therapy, how can we miss you if you won’t go away? Having witnessed to the ex-gay movement for a quarter century and counting, Whosoever has seen conversion therapy’s major institutions become hobbled, its principles discredited, and most of its founders now living out
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America made history on May 8 when its Sierra Pacific Synod elected Rev. Megan Rohrer as their bishop, marking the first time an openly transgender person was elevated to the role in a mainline American Christian denomination. Rohrer (they/he), who